GR 1000
CYPHER CAT A
FM UKREP BRUSSELS 091230Z
RESTRICTED
FRAME FILES
RESTRICTED
RECEIVED
REGISTRY N
111 OCT 1974
; NCKG/598/1
1974
Entu
TO ROUTINE F C O TELNO. 4362 OF 9 OCTOBER/INFO HONG KONG INFO SAVING BRUSSELS (FOR DODGE
MIPT,
H K OFFICE).
MEETING OF THE WORKING GROUP ON GENERALISED PREFERENCES
8 OCTOBER 1974.
HONG KONG: POSSIBLE ADMISSION TO GSP FOR FOOTWEAR.
1. THIS BECAME A MAJOR DISCUSSION ABOUT THE POSITION OF HONG KONG.
IT WAS ALMOST ENTIRELY CONFINED TO FOOTWEAR, SINCE THE ONLY COMMISSION PROPOSALS CONCERNED FOOTWEAR. THE COMMISSION SAID THAT THEY WOULD SHORTLY MAKE PROPOSALS ON TEXTILES. THESE WOULD NOT(NOT)
PROVIDE FOR GPS BENEFITS FOR HONG KONG. WE NOTED THIS STATEMENT WITH DISAPPOINTMENT AND SAID THAT WE WOULD CERTAINLY WISH TO COME BACK TO THE MATTER WHEN WE HAD SEEN THE COMMISSION'S PROPOSALS.
RECEIVEI
2. THE PROPOSALS ON FOOTWEAR WERE GENERALLY WELL RECEIVED, APART FROM WHAT SEEMED TO BE ROOT AND BRANCH ITALIAN OPPOSITION. IT DOES NOT LOOK AS IF THERE WILL BE AGREEMENT AT GROUP LEVEL AND THIS WILL BE ONE OF THE ITEMS GOING FORWARD TO THE COMMITTEE OF PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVES.
3.
OPENING THE DISCUSSION TRAN (COMMISSION) RECALLED THE COMMISSION'S VIEW THAT THE QUESTION OF HONG KONG UNDER GSP HAD
BEEN DEFINITIVELY RESOLVED IN THE ENLARGEMENT NEGOTIATIONS. HONG KONG HAD BEEN INCLUDED FOR PRODUCTS OTHER THAN TEXTILES AND
FOOTWEAR. NEVERTHELESS THE COMMISSION WERE IMPRESSED BY WHAT THEY HAD BEEN TOLD OF THE DIFFICULTIES FACING THE HONG KONG FOOTWEAR INDUSTRY AND BY THE STRONG DEMANDS MADE BY THE UNITED KINGDOM. THE COMMISSION WERE THEREFORE PROPOSING THE INCLUSION OF HONG KONG FOR FOOTWEAR. BUT TO ENSURE THAT OTHER BENEFICIARIES DID NOT SUFFER THE 1975 QUOTA WOULD BE INCREASED ONLY BY THE AMOUNT AVAILABLE TO HONG KONG UNDER THE 20% BUTOIR.
4. THE LINE-UP WAS AS FOLLOWS: WE HELD OUR MAIN FIRE UNTIL THE END ALTHOUGH THE ITALIANS TRIED TO DO THE SAME.
RES CRICTED
/5. THE
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